Looking for a new job has a lot of ups and downs….no that’s not true. There are mostly downs. Nothing is more depressing than sitting down to look at postings on LinkedIn and realizing that they are the exact same ones you looked at yesterday.

It can be tough to stay motivated with that staring you in the face. And motivation is what you need to get to a better place in the world of work.

Here is a suggestion: rather than picking through postings in a random lets-see-whats-new approach, make a plan instead.

Identify four or five different types of possible next steps for your career. You might be interested in several different industries, corporate or consulting, stepping sideways or stretching up or maybe you are considering something completely different.

The idea is that you explore one of these tracts each day. This allows you to really pay attention and give that direction some serious research and thought. Maybe after two sessions, you realize that it’s not an appropriate choice. That’s okay. Better to know than to wonder about it later.

This also makes sure you are looking at fresh material every time you sit down. There is a greater chance of seeing the interesting new roles and not just the same old stuff.

So consider adding a little more rigour and structure to your search. It will be well worth the planning time. It will reduce the deflation potential – that feeling of wanting to throw your laptop against the wall because it all looks the same as yesterday.